‘I Play Rocky’ CinemaCon Trailer: Newcomer Anthony Ippolito is Dead Ringer For Sylvester Stallone

Yo Adrian, the Italian Stallion is back in the ring.

Amazon MGM brought a teaser of “I Play Rocky,” a drama about the true story behind the tumultuous making of the 1976 boxing classic “Rocky.” Anthony Ippolito, best known for “The Offer,” portrays a young Sylvester Stallone, perfectly channeling his mumbly delivery and hunched over swagger. Seriously, it’s uncanny.

The movie takes place long before Stallone was known as an onscreen action hero. Back in the ’70s, he was a struggling actor with a partially paralyzed face and a speech impediment. He wrote the script to “Rocky” but refused to sell the rights unless he got to portray the lead character. “Rocky” revolves around a small-time boxer who gets the opportunity of a lifetime to take on the reigning world heavyweight champion, Apollo Creed (Carl Weathers). The logline for “I Play Rocky” describes Stallone “unshakable belief that he wasn’t just meant to write Rocky, he was meant to be Rocky Balboa.” Given its November release date, “I Play Rocky” looks like it’s being positioned as a possible awards contender.

After turning down six-figure deals, he got the movie made for under $1 million. The ultimate underdog story, “Rocky” became that year’s biggest box office hit and eventual Oscar best picture winner over the likes of “All the President’s Men” and “Taxi Driver.” The original “Rocky” spawned several sequels as well as the “Creed” spinoff series led by Michael B. Jordan. Not everything involving the kind-hearted slugger worked. There was also a Broadway musical that has been justly forgotten.

“Green Book” filmmaker Peter Farrelly is directing “I Play Rocky.” Ippolito is starring alongside Stephan James as Weathers, as well as AnnaSophia Robb, Matt Dillon, P.J. Byrne, Tracy Letts and Jay Duplass.